This article contains spoilers for Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power began streaming its first three episodes Aug. 29 on Prime Video — and already, strong feelings are rolling in about the much-anticipated J.R.R. Tolkien prequel.
Given the harsh criticism of Season 1 — and the almost two years the show spent marinating in those critiques — expectations have been high for this latest foray into the Second Age of Middle-earth, the remaining five episodes of which will stream weekly.
The trailers provided glimpses of epic battles, the growing power of the Dark Lord Sauron, the collapse of realms like the Dwarf kingdom Khazad-dûm, and the introduction of much-anticipated characters like the “mysterious” Tom Bombadil — but have the initial episodes lived up to the hype?
To get a deeper look into what Season 2 has so far gotten right (and not so right), Yahoo Entertainment tapped into what critics and fans are saying, as well as spoke to two Tolkien experts, to guide us through the latest installment of the Lord of the Rings prequel.
What critics are saying
With a 92% “fresh” rating so far on Rotten Tomatoes, it would appear that Season 2 is off to a strong start with critics. (Season 1 received an 87% “fresh” rating.)
Kaiya Shunyata, writing for RogerEbert.com, called the series the “most striking fantasy show of the year,” saying Season 2 has made a major leap forward and praising it as “magnificent.”
“Season two,” they added, “has expanded upon everything that made its first season so promising. The narrative has become tighter, making for a watch that is more entertaining and worthwhile than season one.”
However, Shunyata admits that book fans will continue to take issue with the showrunners’ changes.
“While it’s indeed an adaptation of Tolkien’s expansive work, there are creative liberties that come with adapting something like this,” they wrote.
Some critics, despite giving Season 2 a “fresh” rating, expressed qualms about the show — such as Glen Weldon of NPR, who called the season “fun but frustrating.”
“Some storylines zip ahead with vigorous purpose, but others crawl along or, worse, move in lazy circles as characters make weird choices designed to keep them locked in stasis until Season 3. There’s more spectacle — battle scenes, magic, action set pieces — than in Season 1, but a lot of that action feels familiar.”
But Season 2 didn’t get a “fresh” rating in every critic’s book.
Nick Hilton of the Independent, who gave the show a “rotten” rating, wrote that the plots are overstuffed, filled with fan service and devoid of humor.
“The result is like being on a mirthless rollercoaster ride: thrown around, spun upside down, but always wondering when the fun is supposed to kick in,” Hilton wrote.
What fans are saying
Season 2 of The Rings of Power is scoring well with fans on Rotten Tomatoes. Compared to Season 1’s 38% “fresh” rating (with 25,000-plus reviews), the first three episodes are currently ranking at 66% (with 1,000-plus reviews).
“Unreal improvement on Season 1. Totally different feel to the series, more grown up even,” wrote Jack J, who gave the first three episodes five stars.
However, not every viewer was a fan. “After the first season, I didn’t think it could get more boring and more detached from Tolkien’s work and lore. Guess I was wrong,” wrote Giampiero R, who gave the episodes one star.
What Tolkien experts are saying
To delve deeper into Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Yahoo Entertainment spoke to William Smith (known online as VarkingRunesong), host of the Green Lanterns podcast and moderator of the subreddit r/LOTR_on_Prime, and Daniel Natzke (known online as HiddenVale), an administrator at One Wiki to Rule Them All.
“My favorite thing about the show in general is the Dwarves,” Smith told Yahoo Entertainment. “The relationships between Durin IV, Durin III and Disa are the highlight of the show for me. They have been well written [and] the acting has been terrific.”
Another highlight for Smith has been the growing plotline between Sauron and Three Rings forger Celebrimbor, brought to life by actors Charlie Vickers and Charles Edwards. “Vickers and Edwards [have] been absolutely killing it. … The dialogue, the reactions, the mannerisms in their faces at different moments. … This is when it’s fun to be a fan of the show.”
For Natzke, a favorite moment was the opening flashback sequence of Episode 1, “Elven Kings Under the Sky,” depicting Sauron’s appeal to the Orcs in Forodwaith.
“This accords with some implications in [the Tolkien collection] The Fall of Númenor that Sauron did not always forcefully dominate the Orcs whom he wanted to use, in the beginning of the Second Age,” Natzke explained. “The Elves’ tense dilemma of whether to use the Three Rings or destroy them was also convincing.”
For Smith, who prefers when the show tries to be its own creation without nodding to previous Tolkien adaptations, some of the parallels being drawn between The Rings of Power and Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy didn’t sit well.
“This season had a scene that reminded me of Frodo and Sam being tailed by Gollum where they set up a trap to catch the creature following them,” said Smith. “Here in The Rings of Power, it’s the Stranger and Nori [a Harfoot hobbit] setting up a trap and it turns out the character they catch is Poppy.”
Natzke took issue with some of the plot devices, which he feels demonstrate a kind of immaturity in storytelling. “I was bothered by the moment of Gil-galad dropping the two rings when Elrond yells ‘No!’ so that Nenya just happens to roll down in front of Galadriel.”
As for deviations from Tolkien lore that fans might take issue with this season, Smith didn’t notice any particularly egregious changes in the first three episodes.
“Lore purists are always going to be able to find things to gripe about and pick at when it comes to an adaptation,” said Smith. “The larger lore issue could be something that continues depending on what the Stranger becomes. Is he a Blue Wizard in the Second Age? I think most folks would be OK with that. If he turns out to be Gandalf or Saruman, for instance, there will definitely be people who take issue.”
According to Natzke, some changes to Tolkien’s plot were borne of necessity, as the Tolkien estate has only given Amazon the rights to The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King, The Appendices and The Hobbit.
“Fans take issue … with deviations that should not be necessary, given what texts the series did acquire rights to — such as the major reordering and squishing of the Second Age,” said Natzke.
As for whether or not the showrunners seem to be taking critics’ feedback, Smith said the first three episodes seem to be correcting a lot of the issues fans had with Season 1.
“[Season 1] was a season of setup, and folks wanted more action and moments. Season 2 hits the ground running with action across multiple storylines,” said Smith. “There’s been a major battle spanning episodes that has been teased all offseason while the show was gone, and I think how a lot of people enjoy this season will come down to how those episodes are handled.”
Both Natzke and Smith are excited to keep watching. “I am eager to see everything play out, but only because I’m fascinated at what choices the screenwriters have made in the considerable [liberties] they’re taking,” said Natzke.
For Smith, it’s the Dwarves that have him excited for Season 2 — specifically the possible creation of the Doors of Durin [the western entrance of Khazad-dûm], as well as Dwarves in combat. “That would be the icing on the cake!”
He added that feeling emotionally connected to the unfolding story has been particularly rewarding as a fan.
“The tension [between the Elves and Dwarves] is scaling up, and I can feel it as a viewer. It’s nice to feel invested.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is now streaming on Prime Video.
